A transportable load carrying platform of the type with which the invention is concerned is referred to generally in the art, namely the field of freight transport, as a “folding end flat rack”, and which has been made and used for many years for transport/shipping of heavy or irregular shaped cargo which cannot be loaded into a normal ISO shipping container. Usually, the load is lashed down to a base frame of the platform, and the platform is transported with a pair of end walls in an operative upright position. The platform is capable of being handled readily in this manner, including transit to a dock, transfer to a ship and onward sailing to the port of destination, transfer again to a vehicle or rail wagon, and transit to final destination. Alternatively, the load can be transferred at the port to a suitable load carrier for final transport to the eventual destination. In either event, for the return empty journey of the platform, the end walls may be folded downwardly to inoperative positions, so that stacks of unloaded platforms or “racks” can be formed and locked together for efficient transport.
The end walls are usually pivotally mounted at the ends of the base frame, and are locked in their operative positions. The locking of the end walls in the operative positions usually is obtained by operation of “shoot bolts” or the like which are mounted on the base frame, a small distance only above the pivots on which the end walls are mounted, and which are slid into receiving holes provided in the end walls after the walls have been pivoted upwardly through approximately 90° from the inoperative positions.
WO 02004/106678 discloses a hinge assembly for a flat rack platform configured to mount a pair of end walls to a base frame to contain cargo during shipping.
GB 2211169 discloses a platform based shipping container comprising folding corner posts that allow end walls to move between an operative position to contain the transported loads and an inoperative position in which the end walls lay flat on top of the base so as to reduce the overall height of the container for ease of stacking and transportation between shipping operations.
WO 2007/085801 discloses a transportable load carrying platform comprising two end walls pivotally mounted on a base frame. The end walls pivot relative to the base via an eccentric pivot arrangement that allows an additional displacement of the end walls forming part of the movement from operative to inoperative positions.
However, conventional load carrying platforms of the type identified above, whilst providing secure and convenient transport containers, are not always convenient with regard to the loading and unloading of transported goods. For example, the folding end walls may hinder the loading and unloading of goods to and from the transport platform.
The inventors therefore have realised a need for an improved load carrying platform that, satisfies the load bearing requirements of the transportable container whilst allowing goods to be readily loaded and unloaded between shipping operations.